367,407 people (2024 Census estimate, +4.5% since 2020)
379 square miles of land · 968 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
26 active community water systems list Galveston County in the area they serve, reporting 425,616 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CITY OF LEAGUE CITY buys surface water · local government · TX0840007 | 149,557 served |
| CITY OF TEXAS CITY buys surface water · local government · TX0840008 | 61,541 served |
| CITY OF GALVESTON buys surface water · local government · TX0840003 | 52,326 served |
| CITY OF FRIENDSWOOD buys surface water · local government · TX0840002 | 43,190 served |
| GALVESTON COUNTY WCID 1 buys surface water · local government · TX0840001 | 30,399 served |
| BOLIVAR PENINSULA SUD buys surface water · local government · TX0840044 | 18,424 served |
| CITY OF LA MARQUE buys surface water · local government · TX0840006 | 15,154 served |
| SAN LEON MUD buys surface water · local government · TX0840063 | 11,622 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 1,069 people were held in Galveston County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 863.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
8 school districts have their office in Galveston County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $522.4 million — $415.6 million to run schools, about $10,214 per student, plus $63.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $372.1 million local (mostly property tax), $89.7 million state, $52 million federal. Long-term debt: $982.8 million.
Spent $214.6 million — $149.8 million to run schools, about $12,124 per student, plus $49.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $100.1 million local (mostly property tax), $60.8 million state, $24.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $362.2 million.
Spent $149.7 million — $122 million to run schools, about $15,461 per student, plus $16.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $99 million local (mostly property tax), $40 million state, $28.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $175.4 million.
Spent $190.3 million — $89.8 million to run schools, about $13,846 per student, plus $41.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $92.7 million local (mostly property tax), $7.9 million state, $20.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $285.5 million.
Spent $142.9 million — $65.6 million to run schools, about $10,559 per student, plus $70.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $62.2 million local (mostly property tax), $16.6 million state, $3.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $196.2 million.
Spent $61.8 million — $57.7 million to run schools, about $13,289 per student, plus $440,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $32.1 million local (mostly property tax), $21.3 million state, $8.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $74.8 million.
Spent $34.7 million — $26.3 million to run schools, about $14,304 per student, plus $5.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $16.7 million local (mostly property tax), $9.5 million state, $7.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $65 million.
Spent $5.6 million — $3.3 million to run schools, about $21,722 per student, plus $1.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $3.2 million local (mostly property tax), $252,000 state, $323,000 federal. Long-term debt: $7.7 million.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Galveston County about $198 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very High; social vulnerability: Relatively Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
340 bridges in Galveston County: 189 in good condition, 142 fair, and 9 poor (2.6%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| IH 45 SB over BNSF RR · built 1965 | 33,950 vehicles a day |
| FM 2004 over HIGHLAND BAYOU · built 1943 | 12,790 vehicles a day |
| SEAWOLF PKWY over PELICAN ISLAND CHAN · built 1960 | 9,100 vehicles a day |
| SH 146 over SH3/UP/TCT/GH&H RR · built 1968 | 9,090 vehicles a day |
| SH87 FERRY S SLP 1 over GALVESTON BAY · built 1980 | 3,836 vehicles a day |
| 13TH THRU 19TH AVE over DRAINAGE DITCH · built 1980 | 2,250 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $182.7 million of work in Galveston County in fiscal 2025, about $521 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Early voting: 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-30. Mail ballot application must be received: 2026-10-23. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: Texas Secretary of State, Sept. 28, 2026 · VoteTexas.gov — early voting · VoteTexas.gov
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Galveston County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Galveston County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Brazoria County (33 mi) · Chambers County (35 mi) · Harris County (53 mi) · Fort Bend County (57 mi) · Jefferson County (62 mi) · Liberty County (64 mi).